Downeast Corrections gets support from new budget

The proposed two-year budget from Gov. Janet Mills includes $3.8 million to open a new pre-release corrections facility in Washington County to replace the Downeast Correctional facility that Gov. LePage shut down last year.

Author:
Don Carrigan

Published:
7:35 PM EST February 8, 2019

Updated:
8:05 PM EST February 8, 2019

AUGUSTA, Maine — The proposed two-year budget from Gov. Janet Mills includes $3.8 million to open a new pre-release corrections facility in Washington County to replace the Downeast Correctional facility that Gov. LePage shut down last year.

The Department of Corrections is still studying whether to renovate and reopen the old facility or build a new one.

Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty told NEWS CENTER Maine the old complex had been largely stripped of equipment, including the heating system, after it shut down.

It's also not clear how many inmates the new facility would house, but Commissioner Liberty says their goal is to have inmates again living and working in Washington County before the end of this year.